At last year’s World Clash, Toronto’s own King Turbo made sound system history when they became only the second Canadian sound to take the title at the original, authentic and still predominant international sound clash on planet earth. This past weekend at the Canada Rumble, six up-and-coming dancehall sound sytems out of Canada competed for the chance to musically murder their countrymen in the next World Clash aka the Superbowl of Sound Clash. After four hours of heated competition at LaVictoria Banquet Hall, King Attarney outgunned Step-A-Choice in the final Tune Fi Tune round. The Rumble Series was introduced by leading clash promoters Irish & Chin who are celebrating their 20th anniversary in the business this year as they focus on bringing new stars into the sound clash industry. Coming off last October’s popular Japan Rumble, where Fujiyama Sound claimed the title, Canada Rumble sets the stage for future Rumbles to be held in the U.S., U.K., Europe and the Caribbean. If you missed the big clash, you can still check out all the action right here. And make sure to check Boomshots’ exclusive interview with Garfield “Chin” Bourne, reasoning with Reshma B about the past, present, and future of Sound Clash Culture. Audio & Video After The Jump…Read more »

As the new year begins, so does the quest for which new artist will make an impact on the scene. One of those artist could be ghanaian singer/songwriter Jojo Abot who seamlessly blends electronica, indie-soul, reggae, house, and acoustic instrumentation on top of vocals sung in either English or Ewe, a language spoken in southern Ghana. Abot spends her time between three different locations, her native Ghana, Copenhagen, and New York City. The first part of 2017 already saw her performing at Global Fest on Jan.8th at Webster Hall in NYC, three days later at the JFK Center for the Performing Arts, and the MLH (Ms. Lauryn Hill) Caravan at Radio City Music Hall on Feb. 25th. For the latter performance, Abot will be opening for Ms. Lauryn Hill along with Little Simz, and Kehlani. Video And Interview After The Jump…Read more »

Major Lazer dropped their latest Tropical House sureshot today, a musical thing called “Run Up” featuring OVO’s resident yardman PartyNextDoor alongside Nicki Minaj. “It’s always important for us to work with people who are on the same wave,” Diplo said in a statement. “Nicki and Party really helped us bring the classic MajorLazer style to create this perfect party record.” Nicki’s verse hints that the Trini-by-way-of-Queens pop star is now working on her fourth album. Barb’s bars include her usual femcee-baiting and designer-label-name-dropping as well as charming non-sequiturs like “I don’t put sugar in my spaghetti sauce.” Even more confusing is her foray into Jamaican patois, highlighted by the song’s official lyric video: “Fire Bun The Obea[sic] Man Church,” she spits at one point, an apparent nod to Beenie Man’s “Betta Learn,” a 1999 selection on Shocking Vibes’ Bada Bada juggling from back in the days when Capleton and Moses were going hard at each other. The original lyric is actually “Fire burn up the obeah man shirt,” a criticism of certain Rasta DJ’s tendency to “burn out” all forms of corruption. But hey, it’s 2017 —maybe obeah men now have churches which they’re setting on fire. “Run Up” did 350K+ on Youtube its first day, so who cares if Nicki’s patois is a little shaky? The tune still ah shot. Audio After The Jump…Read more »

Gongzilla claps a lyrical gun salute in this hardcore reality tune about the rules & laws & codes of conduct that govern life pon di ends—and the lionheart street soldiers who enforce them. “All who perpetrate hafi pack up and run,” Damian spits with an ill rapid-fire flow on this high energy dancehall track produced by Sean “Pow” Diedrick and featuring what sounds like a Buju sample on the chorus. Like the song says, “No shot nah buss when a man a keep treat.” One more wicked piece of tune from the Stony Hill files. Wickedness increase! Audio After The Jump…Read more »

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While Trump Spreads Fear And Division, Reggae Music Offers A Different Message

The whole world is feeling shaky today as the U.S.A.’s 45th President takes the oath of office amidst protests as cries of “Not my President” clash with “America first.” The impulse to resist what’s happening is strong, but what’s the best way? The Jamaican-born Mexico-based reggae singer Kassiano has a unique perspective on things—since he is both black and lives in the first country that candidate Trump vilified in his campaign of hate and fear. “There is room in my father’s house for everyone,” Kassiano sings in this roots reggae anthem recorded in Jamaican in 2014 at Mikey Bennett’s studio featuring the talents of Dean Fraser on saxophone. The song’s lyrics envision a world of abundance as God intended rather than the zero sum game posited by fearmongering politicians. “We are spiritual beings having a human experience,” says Kassiano, who is also a noted spiritual healer. “Be still and connect to the source of God within you.” Spreading unity and resisting the urge to fight—what a concept! Kassiano’s message is right on time. Turn this up loud. Audio After The Jump…Read more »

Recently obtaining his “wings to fly” (VISA to the U.S.A.), Charly Black took flight to New York City for a quick press run ahead of next month’s U.S. promotional tour in support of his certified diamond song, “Party Animal.” First stop was Hot 97’s “Ebro In the Morning” Show on January 11 with Ebro, Laura Stylez and DJ Kastone. Later that evening he linked with the Boomshots crew for an in-depth reasoning. A few days later “the international sensation” (as Ebro described him) flew out to Jazzy T ‘s (Renaissance Sound) Earthstrong Party at Luxy in Toronto. The Trelawny General returned to NYC the following Sunday, drawing in a capacity crowd for his first live performance in New York at Stage 48. More After The Jump…

Ever since he put Queens dancehall on the map with his x-rated worldwide smash “Nobody Haffi Know,” Kranium has been putting in much work while ignoring the haters. After signing a deal with Atlantic Records the stakes were raised even higher but somehow the singjay has maintained his cool while developing his own distinctive voice. Hitting the road with New Toronto sensation Tory Lanez, Kranium has carved out his own lane, and developed some creative chemsitry with the T-Dot reprsenter and today they dropped a new video for their collab “We Can.” Inspired perhaps by President Obama’s “Yes We Can” refrain during his Farewell Address, Kranium makes it clear that he and his girl can do just about anything they want. The visuals are as tasteful as the tune is raw. With Mr. Lanez’ radio clout, it sounds like Kranium may have a next banger on his hands. Audio After The Jump…Read more »

New York dancehall producer Jon FX established his name with hard-hitting remixes like the classic “Gun Session / Survivor” mashup featuring Kartel, Akon, Sizzla and Shabba Ranks. His latest release—Sizzla’s “I’m Yours,” which Boomshots proudly premieres today—proves that he’s also a first-rate producer capable of presenting hardcore Jamaican talents like Kalonji with an international-radio-ready sound. Wouldn’t mind seeing this squeeze into “Tropical House” radio rotation. Audio After The Jump…Read more »

In The Year Of Tropical House, One Actual Jamaican Tune Did Break Through

Dancehall style ruled 2016, but dancehall artists? Not so much. Sure, Sean Paul had a great year thanks to his chart-topping “Cheap Thrills” collab—plus standout tracks with Major Lazer and Tory Lanez. Popcaan continued to reap the rewards of the Unruly/OVO alliance while making noise in Jamrock and the hardcore dancehall diaspora—along with heavy hitters Alkaline and Kartel. But all year long there was really just one Jamaican hit that managed to break all the way from the streets of Kingston to heavy rotation on the worldwide airwaves. The song that elbowed those Rihanna and Justin Bieber joints out of the way to make a space for real dancehall was “Party Animal” by the Top Trelawney General himself, former Bass Odyssey selector Charly Black. It’s been more than two years since Charly voiced the big tune on Kurt Riley’s “Jambe-an Riddim,” and it still has the girls flipping like a Flip-a-Gram all over the world. (Despite the fact that the video on Charly Black’s VEVO channel gets the best line of the lyrics wrong!) The track’s fusion of dancehall, Latin, and soca vibes caught on big in South American markets like Colombia, Peru and Ecuador, allowing Riley to license “Party Animal” to a French company, P2S Records. From there he struck a distribution deal with Universal Music’s Latin division, which led to a Daddy Yankee remix and, we can only hiope, mucho dinero. As Mr. Black himself might say, “Whoah!” Video After The Jump…Read more »

On “The Struggle Discontinues,” a track from Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley’s forthcoming album Stony Hill, Gongzilla offers a thought-provoking critique of reggae’s long history as “sufferer’s music.” As the tune puts it: “I don’t wanna sing a song that says ‘the struggle live on’… when will we overcome?” It really should come as no surprise that the artist who gave us hits like “Set Up Shop” and “Hard Work” is all about self-determination and economic advancement. “What we need in reggae music is business visionaries,” he says. “We have a lot of creative, artistic visionaries.” With that in mind, 2016 was a massively successful year for Bob Marley’s youngest youth. His Welcome To Jamrock Reggae Cruise completed its third annual outing, selling out an even bigger vessel than ever before. While the cruise has inspired a few imitators—the sincerest form of flattery—WTJRC has been hailed by Billboard as “the genre’s premiere event.” With the 2017 lineup already announced, cabins are filling up fast. Meanwhile, Damian Marley also announced a foray into the booming herb industry—partnering with Ocean Grown Extracts, which recently acquired an abandoned prison in California which is being converted into a ganja grower—a potent symbol of poetic justice. The company has also entered a “joint venture” with Tru Cannabis to open a medical and recreational dispensary across the street from the NFL stadium in Denver—offering a new way to help keep Bronco tailgaters a “Mile High.” Don’t get it twisted—Jr. Gong’s main focus remains music, as evidenced by the anticipation for Stony Hill , the follow-up to his classic, certified Gold, double-Grammy-winning album Welcome To Jamrock. But it’s also true that rather than playing along, Zilla’s determined to change the game. “I’m working toward killing the struggle,” says Marley. “Not killing people’s ambition to better themselves, but killing the feeling that you have to be a struggler.” In recognition of his transformative power moves in 2016, Boomshots names Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley the Boss of the Year. Photos And Video After The Jump…Read more »